A baker, not a fighter
by B. Weasley
Summary: Jacob Kowalski was a man with a dream; but during his life, his dream didn’t became his priority.


**Enter for the Houses Competition Y5 - Round 3 - Eagles - Transfiguration**

**Prompt:** [Character] Jacob Kowalski

**Category:** Standard

**Word count: **1.221

* * *

_**A baker, not a fighter**_

Jacob Kowalski once had a dream: be the best baker in America and sell his Grandmother's secret recipe of paczki all around the country. He loved to bake with his beloved _Babcia _since he was a little boy. He loved to pass some time with his grandparents, watching his grandma baking and his grandpa talking about his beloved pigeons. But the war changed this dreams.

He never wanted to fight, he doesn't believe that no one ever really wished to fight, to go to another country and fight for the others while the powerful ones stay safe at their offices. But he knew that this was his duty and he needs to obey, especially since his brother was also going to fight.

_"I still don't know why we need to fight; this isn't even our fight, America wasn't fighting with anyone," _Jacob thought to himself, afraid to say something to someone and be considered a traitor. This is the last thing that he needed right now.

The days on the front were kinda boring, which surprised Jacob; he always thought that the war was more action than what is happening right now. Most of the time was spent playing cards and cooking for the other soldiers. At least, Jacob had something to remind him of home, this way he thought he could still have a little connection with his _Babcia_.

"Hey Kowalski, what is going to be the dinner tonight?" one of the soldiers asked Jacob, who is rummaging through the supplies that they had. "What you are going to prepare for us tonight?"

"I guess I'll need magic to transform what we have in something that we can call dinner," Jacob said, which made the other soldier laugh. "How they think that we will survive with this?"

"It's the price of the war bro, you should know better by now," Jacob's brother said, entering in the makeshift kitchen they had at the camp. "They want fighters, not cooks or bakers."

"I guess you are right, but if they want that we stop this fight and win the war, they should feed us better," Jacob replied with a grimace looking at the cans they had.

"So it's a good thing we have you here to prepare something eatable for us," his brother countered laughing, which made a small smile appears in Jacob's face. Yes, the War was still going and it's horrible, but he had his brother by his side.

* * *

Jacob blamed himself all the time; if he hadn't thought that he had his brother by his side, or if he hadn't decided to bake some paczki to remember him and his brother of home, if he had made some different decision… but he knew that the blame wasn't his. It was the War, the War took his brother from him.

Returning home was one of the most difficult things that he had to do; he doesn't know what to do with his life anymore, how to continue now that he was alone in the world. He doesn't even bake anymore, always remembering his decisions.

Lately, he just goes to the work at the Moreton Dale Canning Factory, doing a menial job, just to have money to survive. His boss said that the job was to "_thank_" him of the job he did at the War; Jacob wanted to scream when the older man said something like that.

Even with his less than willing to go to work, Jacob does what he always did when in situations like this: he started to think that someday, he could start to cook again and maybe, one day he will open his bakery. It started with just a thought, a dangerous thought, that initiates a raging bonfire inside him; one day, he will have his dream come true.

And it was in the middle of this train of thoughts and with his will returning little a little, that Jacob met Mildred, a girl just like him, with dreams and hopes, with a beautiful smile, that stole Jacob's heart with just a look. It didn't take long to Jacob reunited courage to ask her out and take even less to her to accept. Jacob felt that finally, after so many times, something good was happening in his life.

* * *

"Mildred, you are the love of my life and I can't imagine living without you anymore…" Jacob was saying to himself, trying not to panic with the thought that Mildred could deny his proposal. It's not the time to dwell on those thoughts. "Come on Kowalski, you fought in a war, you can do this."

"What you can do honey?" Mildred asked while she was entering his living room, having arrived much sooner than he was expecting. "Jacob, are you alright? You look a little pale."

"What? I'm fine," Jacob answered in a high pitched voice very quickly, which made Mildred raise a brow, meaning that she didn't believe in him. "You just arrived early, I didn't expect you so soon."

"Oh, yeah; I wasn't planning on coming early, but I missed you and thought that I could come to help you with dinner," Mildred answered with a blush, that made Jacob's heartbeat rapidly in his chest. He thought about the dinner that he was planning to do to her, but seeing the scene in front of him made him forget all about his plans and improvised.

He then knelt on one knee and take the little box that he was carrying with him for the past two weeks, and ignoring the gasp that Mildred let, he started to say.

"Mildred, you are one of my first thoughts when I wake up and the last when I go to sleep; you came to my life and made everything better, you turn everything upside down and bring back some light," Jacob said and before he loses his courage, he continued. "You are the reason why I persuading my dream again, and you became my new dream… Will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes, YES! Of course, I'll marry you, Jacob," Mildred said, while she went to hug the man in front of her and kissed him. Jacob couldn't be happier than now, and he knew that in some months, he will be even happier when the bank gives him the loan to make his bakery come to life.

* * *

Finally, the day had arrived, he was at the bank, trying to have the money for his dream. He hopes that today the banker will see how his dream could work and could be very successful. He even brought some paczki, thinking that this will help.

While he was waiting, a very strange man sits next to him; Jacob realized that he wishes that the strange man could have what he came here to find. But before he can say something, the man leaves him on the bench; Jacob could blame him, he doesn't look like he could chat today.

While he is waiting to be called, he saw that the man leave behind a strange egg, and before Jacob could reach the other man, Gilbert Bingley called him to his office. Without thinking much of it, Jacob put the egg in his pocket and walked in the direction of Gilbert Bingley's office, without knowing how much his life will change.


End file.
